Lateef's impressive debut as a starter and Johnson's rushing lead Nebraska over UCLA 28-21

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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — TJ Lateef was 13 for 15 for 205 yards and three touchdown passes in his first collegiate start, Emmett Johnson went over 100 yards rushing and receiving, and Nebraska defeated UCLA 28-21 on Saturday night for its first win in Pasadena since 1993.

Playing at the Rose Bowl 25 miles from his hometown of Compton, Lateef took over from Dylan Raiola, who is out for the rest of the season with a lower right leg injury he sustained in a 21-17 loss to Southern California last week. Lateef played the final four possessions against the Trojans.

As the first true freshman to start for Nebraska since 1950, Lateef directed the Cornhuskers (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) to scores on their first four possessions for a 27-7 lead.

“I was just really trying to soak the whole moment up,” Lateef said. “It was a blessing.”

Jacory Barney Jr. caught Lateef's 2-yard pass on the right side pylon, which bent over, for Nebraska's first TD after a video review. Lateef hit Johnson with a pass at the Nebraska 41 and Johnson rumbled 56 yards down the left sideline past his own bench for the score. Johnson's 1-yard TD run capped the Cornhuskers' scoring in the first half.

“Emmett is just an absolute weapon,” Huskers coach Matt Rhule said.

Nebraska extended its lead to 28-7 to open the third on Johnson's 40-yard TD catch from Lateef. Chants of “Go Big Red!” filled the Rose Bowl from red-clad fans who packed the historic stadium's east stands. They also shouted out Lateef's name.

“It was cool, man,” he said.

Lateef was 10 for 10 for 173 yards going into the fourth.

Already the first 1,000-yard rusher at Nebraska since 2018, Johnson had 28 carries for 129 yards and ran for one TD. He had three catches for 103 yards and two TDs.

“Most of our game plan was to stop 21 (Johnson),” UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper said. “He's a special, special player.”

After a bye week, the Bruins (3-6, 3-3) were trying to bounce back from a 56-6 drubbing at No. 2 Indiana that ended their three-game winning streak.

Their only score in the first half was Jalen Berger's 1-yard run on a direct snap that tied the game 7-7. Mateen Bhaghani missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt wide left just before halftime.

Nico Iamaleava hit Anthony Woods with a 45-yard TD pass that left UCLA trailing 28-14 in the third. The Bruins closed to 28-21 on Iamaleava’s 9-yard scoring pass to Anthony Frias II with 4:54 remaining in the game on a drive that began at their 3-yard line.

Iamaleava was 17 for 25 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He was the team's leading rusher with 15 carries for 86 yards.

“Nico was fantastic. Just an absolute warrior,” Rhule said. “On that first drive, we hit him so many times I didn’t know how long he could do that and he did it all night. I have a lot of respect for him.”

The Bruins got gutsy with a fake punt on their own 19-yard line on their final possession in the third. After a timeout, 260-pound defensive lineman Jacob Busic carried the ball two yards to get a first down. But the Bruins were penalized for a false start and Iamaleava's pass was broken up by DeShon Singleton, forcing them to punt.

Nebraska: The Huskers were already bowl eligible and Lateef's cool-headed performance paired with Johnson's exploits bolsters their hopes of landing in a top-tier bowl with two games remaining.

UCLA: The Bruins have their toughest stretch ahead of them, with three ranked opponents to close the regular season. They'll visit No. 1 Ohio State, host No. 24 Washington and visit No. 20 USC.

Nebraska has a bye week before visiting Penn State (0-6 Big Ten) on Nov. 22 in Rhule's return to his alma mater.

UCLA visits No. 1 Ohio State next Saturday.

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